Easter Morning
by You'reMyKindOfTrouble
Summary: A collection of one-shots/drabbles, Caryl-centric. Rated M for the odd F-bomb or dark themes (no sexy times, sorry), but 100% fluff and cuteness and happy endings. Set on the same farm as 'Flower Crowns'. Carol and Daryl and children and baby animals and cuteness! First chapter is a response to the USS Caryl's Spring Fling challenge, some of them may be tumblr prompts, some not.
1. Chapter 1

"Know what day it is?" Daryl mumbled into her hair as she began to wake up.

"Huh?" She asked groggily. The early morning sunlight caught in her eyelashes and danced across her cheek as she opened one eye, before grumbling nonsensically against the brightness and shutting it again.

"I said, do you what day it is today?" He jostled her slightly. "Carol, wake up. _Carol._"

She rolled over to face him. "… Tuesday?" She offered, squinting at him in bafflement. He sighed dramatically. "I don't know, Daryl… I'm not awake ye-" She cut herself off with a colossal yawn. "Is it an important day today, or can I sleep for a few more minutes?"

He considered for a moment. As far as he knew he had nothing urgent to do this morning. "Could probably stand to catch a few more z's." She smiled drowsily up at him and he pecked her on the nose playfully before she rolled back over and snuggled back against him. He wrapped an arm around her and nuzzled the back of her neck.

She sighed in contentment.

Daryl lay quietly for a few minutes, letting her hair tickle his face while she dozed.

Without meaning to, he shut his eyes and within a few more minutes they were both asleep.

The sun was well and truly up by the time Carol woke again. Daryl was snoozing lightly, still wrapped around her. He opened one eye, then the other, as she rolled onto her back and stretched, groaning with satisfaction as her joints popped. She propped herself up onto her elbow.

"So what day is it, then?"

He grinned lopsidedly up at her, shifting to put one arm under his head. "It's Easter."

She grinned. "So what's the plan?"

He leaned over the side of the bed and reached under it, groping for something. With a rustle of plastic, he dropped a bag in her lap with a flourish.

She gaped at him. "Where did you possibly _find_ these?" She exclaimed as she tipped the small solid chocolate eggs onto the bedspread.

He swiped one and peeled the foil off of it before placing it in her palm. He did the same to another one and popped it n his mouth. She copied him and chewed slowly.

"Oh my God." She managed, "you found _chocolate._"

"Went on a run with Glenn last week for some more fencing shit, found them under the front desk at the hardware place… I thought, uh…"

"Hmm?" She prompted, still savouring the chocolate. "You thought?" She queried when he didn't continue.

"It's kinda stupid." He warned. "But, I thought we could have an Easter Egg hunt for the kids, something fun for 'em, y'know?" He looked embarrassed. She beamed. "I mean we could just give 'em out at breakfast but-"

"I think it's perfect. We could do it in the orchard, hide them in nests in the grass and in the trees…" She enthused. "I'll get Mrs. McLeod to supervise breakfast; we could sneak out now while the kids are eating… Daryl, they're going to love it!"

A couple of hours later and all the children returned in a triumphant gaggle to the farmyard, each cradling one egg in their cupped palms.

"Thank you Mr. Daryl and Mrs. Carol!" They chorused as they went past, hopping with excitement.

"They're so sweet." Carol smiled benevolently, reaching out to stroke Mika's hair as she walked by carrying a toddler on her hip.

"Yeah," Daryl smirked. "'Til they're all runnin' round on massive sugar highs."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everybody! Here's the second drabble in the series!**

**Not all of them will be Easter-based (that's just where the inspiration came from) and a lot of them will only get posted to tumblr when I have decent internet connection (not dialup, which is _just_ enough for ) so they'll probably be up on here first... I'm also considering turning this little drabble series into an arc (so far ominously-but not actually ominous- titled "The Farm") so I'll put up some sort of explanation/background later.**

**Oh! And feel free to review (hint hint) because I noticed that ain't nobody reviewed yet and if you all hate it please tell me!**

**Okay, enjoy much fluffy cuteness! (I hope)**

On what they'd decided was approximately Good Friday going by the out of date calendar, Daryl had returned from his hunt with four dead rabbits and one live one tucked against his stomach, inside his shirt. Carol was the first to notice it as she took the string of game from him and leaned in to kiss him. She lurched backwards as it squirmed, trapped between them, and exclaimed with great surprise.

"Christ Daryl!"

He looked at her for a moment with confusion, before he chuckled at her reaction. "'S just a rabbit, you loon."

"Why do you have a rabbit down your shirt?" She leaned back against the outside table and pressed a hand to her chest in shock.

"Found a couple babies in a nest… Most of 'em were already dead, 'cept this one." With that, he reached into his shirt and pulled it out. It was small enough that only its hind feet and head protruded from each end of his loose fist. "Couldn't just leave it there to starve." He shrugged. "Think its mama's going into our stew tonight so I brought it back, thought Judith might like it for a pet or somethin'."

Carol reached out for it with cupped palms and he deposited it gently into her hands. She cradled it against her stomach with one hand and gently stroked it from nose to tail with her index finger. "We could find another one and breed them." She suggested.

"Yeah."

She patted the table next to her and he leaned against it, bracing himself with one hand on the tabletop behind her. He reached to stroke the baby rabbit with the other.

"Daryl?" She asked.

"Hm?"

"How are we going to feed it?"

"Cows' milk'll do it. I had one when I was a kid, fed it on condensed milk and water 'til it was big enough to eat rabbit food. Used to take it out into the woods to let it go but the damn thing kept showin' up in the garden shed the next day." He rested his chin on her shoulder and peered down at the rabbit. He laughed softly.

"What?" She asked, a smile in her voice. She felt as happy as she had almost since they'd realised the farm was a safe place, leaning against a butchering table in the spring sunshine and surveying the communal area, with a tiny grey rabbit in her lap. She tilted her head slightly so that their cheeks brushed.

"Was just thinkin' we could convince the kids the Easter Bunny's real."

* * *

On Easter Sunday, or there about, Daryl eased himself into what was once a stall in the barn, looking for Carol. He found her sitting on a hay bale in the sunlight that streamed in through the barred-over window with the baby rabbit cradled in her lap. It was lapping at the milk she was dripping out of a syringe and he smiled as he stood in the doorway, watching as she smiled at the grey bundle in adoration.

She looked up as a strange noise reached her. "Daryl" She breathed. "Hi."

"Hey." He offered. "He eatin' properly?" He nodded at the rabbit.

"Yeah, he's doing just fine." She crooked a finger at him and he crossed the swept-out stall to stand behind her and rest his hands on her shoulders.

"He's a cute little bastard, huh?" Daryl chuckled.

"Judith will love him." She looked up at him. "Can you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

She frowned. "It's like… Like a cheeping noise. Listen."

He schooled his face into a blank state. "Nope. Dunno what you're talkin' about."

She glanced around in search of the noise. He snickered despite his best efforts. It wasn't until one of the many pockets in his army vest began cheeping in earnest and wriggling with determination that she caught on. Her frown changed into a cheeky grin.

"Is that a chicken in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

He quirked an eyebrow, fixing her with an intense look. Her grin faded slightly. Still completely serious, looking at her with smouldering eyes, he reached slowly into his pocket…

… And whipped out a fluffy chick, which peeped loudly in shock.

She sighed dramatically in mock-disappointment. Daryl laughed loudly and she couldn't help but join in. "How many did you find?" She asked, still chuckling occasionally.

"Got seven of 'em. Figured we could put 'em under the clucky hen. Some more pets for the kids 'n we might get some eggs, too."

Carol deposited the baby rabbit back into his lined box and patted her lap.

Daryl smirked again. "Don' think I'll fit…"

She swatted his leg. "Pass me the chickens, you smartass."

He placed them one at a time onto her lap as she cooed over each of them in turn. "You're so _cute_!" She gushed. "Oh, I could just eat you up… Yes I could!"

"Don' tell 'em _that_! You'll scar the cheepy little assholes an' we'll never get any eggs…" Daryl scolded playfully.

"What, are you jealous?" she tilted her chin up to him. "You want some snuggles too?"

He scoffed and pecked her on the cheek before stalking out of the stall, the tips of his ears turning pink.

* * *

The only thing that delighted the children on Easter more than their chocolate eggs was the moment when Rick and Glenn unveiled the baby rabbit in his newly constructed hutch. His presence seemed to drive the eight children into a quiet sort of frenzy, and they all crowded around the mesh-and-scrap-wood construction with hushed noises of enchantment until Rick reached in and fished him out to be passed around.

And the only thing that thrilled the children more than the newly-christened Fluffy was the revealing of the seven peeping chicks in a large cardboard box. Judith seemed content lugging Fluffy around, his back legs dangling in a resigned fashion, but each of the other children cupped a tiny yellow chick in their cupped palm with muted squeals of delight and paraded around for the rest of the afternoon before releasing them back into the cage, squealing in mock terror as they were rushed by the broody hen.

The adults sat around afterwards, sipping the salvaged beers they were reserving for special occasions. Daryl, seized by a rare fit of public affection, hooked a finger into Carol's belt loop as she passed him and tugged her gently into his lap. He rested his chin on her shoulder then nuzzled her neck.

"Success?" He mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"Easter. Was it a success?"

She turned her head and nuzzled back against him. "I think so."


End file.
